VIDEO: The truth about Cambodia’s Prey Lang sanctuary | Chasing Deforestation

• Chasing Deforestation is a series that explores the world’s most threatened forests through satellite data and reporters on the ground.
• Cambodia has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world, and the situation in the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary which spans four provinces is emblematic of the problem.
• Preliminary satellite data from Global Forest Watch indicate that deforestation in Prey Lang in 2023 is set to surpass both 2022 and 2021, with the latter year marking the highest recorded forest loss since the start of the century.
• In the latest episode of Chasing Deforestation, host Romi Castagnino sent Mongabay reporter Gerry Flynn on a mission to find out what’s happening inside the supposedly protected area.

PREY LANG, Cambodia — Cambodia has among the worst rates of forest loss of any nation, and Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary is a quintessential case. The protected area has long faced relentless devastation in near-total obscurity, with many observers saying that Prey Lang’s status as a sanctuary exists only on paper.

In this episode of Chasing Deforestation, host Romi Castagnino delves into the heart of the matter, uncovering the dire situation in Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary.

Officially spanning 431,683 hectares (1.07 million acres) across four provinces in Cambodia, Prey Lang is not only a refuge for threatened species like the Asian elephant and the Malayan sun bear, but is also home to 80% of the country’s threatened native tree species. Despite its ecological significance, widespread deforestation continues unabated.

https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/the-truth-about-cambodias-prey-lang-sanctuary-chasing-deforestation/